Godzilla: The Planet Eater
| distributor = | released = | runtime = 90 minutesゴジラ星を喰う者 | country = Japan | language = Japanese | budget = | gross = }} |GODZILLA 星を喰う者|Gojira: Hoshi o Kuu Mono|also known as 'Godzilla Part 3: The Planet Eater'}} is a 2018 Japanese computer-animated science fiction ''kaiju film featuring Godzilla, produced by Toho Animation and animated by Polygon Pictures, in association with Netflix. It is the 34th film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, the 32nd Godzilla film produced by Toho, and the third and final entry in the anime trilogy. It is a sequel to Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and is co-directed by Kōbun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita. The film was released theatrically in Japan on November 9, 2018, and released worldwide on Netflix on January 9, 2019. Plot Following Mechagodzilla City's destruction, the remaining Bilusaludo want Haruo to be brought to justice for foiling what they saw as necessary to defeat Godzilla, whilst the humans disagree, believing they have exposed their true intentions of assimilating Earth. The Bilusaludos revolt and take over the Aratrum's engine room, cutting power to the ship and forcing it to run on secondary batteries, which can only last for two days. On Earth, religious fervor rises under Metphies. Dr. Martin tells Haruo that Yuko is brain-dead, her heart only kep beating by the Nanometal. He also reveals that it was the Houtua's powder that saved them and not the Exif's god. Haruo confronts Metphies, who reveals that he wants to bring the Exif's god to Earth. Haruo is taken to a remote area by Maina, who tells him that, for the Houtua, there is no grudge or hate, for their concept of life revolves around "winning" (surviving and making life) or "losing" (dying and disappearing). She tells Haruo that he is "losing", and helps him win by sleeping with him. Meanwhile, Miana discovers Metphies telepathically communicating with Endurph, and, after he briefly reveals his plans, he captures her. Metphies organizes another meeting for the people to call upon and pray to the Exif's god to defeat Godzilla, while Endurph and the people on the Aratrum do the same. Ghidorah manifests as a shadow on Earth and through a black hole in space that slays his followers on Earth and destroys the Aratrum before proceeding to attack Godzilla, who, unable to even damage or touch his intangible body, is rendered helpless as Ghidorah grabs him and drains his energy away. Dr. Martin concludes that Ghidorah's true form exists in another plane of reality and is being guided by someone in their universe. Haruo then finds Metphies, who replaced his right eye with Ghidorah's amulet, enabling it to remain anchored to their reality. He launches a telepathic assault to Haruo and reveals that, long ago, the Exifs concluded that the universe is finite and fated to destruction, so they sought Ghidorah, a chaotic being beyond destruction, and offered planets for him to consume, starting with their own. He wants Haruo, who proved an ideal individual due to his hatred and desire for revenge against Godzilla, to embrace the concept of death as salvation and become Ghidorah's witness and anchor in his place, so that Ghidorah can finally firmly take root in their reality. However, Mothra (still an egg) interrupts the assault and enables Haruo to discover that Metphies was the one who destroyed his grandfather's ship, having given him a bomb belt so they can be "saved". At the same time, Haruo recalls his own amulet, lost on the day he fled from Earth as a boy. Its image of flowers reminds him of his namesake, meaning "Spring", and the power of hope to transcend times of despair. Haruo then breaks free and cracks Metphies' amulet, causing Ghidorah to become affected by Earth's physics and ultimately get defeated by Godzilla. As he passes away, Metphies tells Haruo that Ghidorah will always be watching him as long as he lives. Time passes and the survivors bury their weapons, living alongside the natives, and Maina is pregnant with Haruo's child. Dr. Martin tells Haruo that he got the last remaining Vulture mech working, having discovered how to use Mechagodzilla's Nanometal in Yuko's body as a tool to rebuild civilization. Haruo's right eye stings, and hears Metphies declare that, once humanity returns to their advanced, destructive nature, Ghidorah will return to destroy them. Taking Yuko with him, he resolves to rid the world of his hatred for Godzilla. Miana tries to stop him, but he tells her that there are times when people must face the day they choose to fight a losing battle. He flies the Vulture towards Godzilla, who vaporizes him. In a post-credits scene, sometime in the future, children of the natives and survivors conduct a ritual honoring Haruo, placing their prayers under an effigy of the Vulture so it can burn away their fears. Voice cast Production The English dubbed version was produced by Post Haste Digital. Music Harry Gregson-Williams returned to compose the soundtrack, marking it his third Godzilla film score. XAI also returned to perform the film's theme song Live and Die. Marketing In May 2018, a teaser poster revealed the film's title, release date, and potential appearance of King Ghidorah. In July 2018, the film's first teaser trailer was released. In September 2018, the film's theatrical poster was released. In October 2018, the full trailer was released. Release Godzilla: The Planet Eater premiered as the closing film at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3, 2018, and was given a theatrical release in Japan on November 9, 2018. The film was released worldwide on Netflix on January 9, 2019. Critical reception Joshua Meyer from SlashFilm stated "Rather than revert to a big dumb monster movie, The Planet Eater is able to balance its kaiju action with life-and-death concerns while wrapping up threads of character drama woven through the trilogy as a whole. The movie plays with rich themes that might leave you thinking (or scratching your head) as you wait for the post-credits scene." Naoya Fujita from IGN gave the film a rating of 8.0. Fujita felt that getting through Part 1 and Part 2 was a "chore" but felt that Part 3 gave a "strong, more emotional payoff", stating, "While it took awhile to get there, the animated Godzilla trilogy ends with a fascinating chapter that – while unexpected – is worthy of the franchise." Patrick Galvan from Syfy Wire called the film the "best of the three movies", praising the film's expansion on its ideas rather than abandoning them like the previous two films but felt that it still didn't redeem the trilogy, stating the film "has a few things going for it that its two predecessors lacked, but it nonetheless fails — just as they did — to rise above the wall of mediocrity which has rendered this three-film saga the single dullest stretch in the history of the Godzilla franchise to date." Daniel Kurland from Den of Geek awarded the film 3 stars out of 5, feeling the animation was "lackluster" with "Regrettable" CG effects and Hattori's score was "questionable." He felt the battle between Godzilla and Ghidorah was "drab" and could have been choreographed better but praised the films themes and concluded by stating, "Godzilla can clearly hold his own within the world of anime." Richard Eisenbeis from Anime News Network awarded the film an overall B-rating, praising the anime's version of Ghidorah is "an incredible take on an iconic character" but criticized the battle between Godzilla and Ghidorah, calling it "the most boring part of the film". He also praised the film's themes of nihilism, hope, and harmony with nature but also calling them "polarizing", stating, "It's a rather extreme message, but this is far from the first pro-environmental Godzilla film. If nothing else, you will be left mulling it over as the credits roll, which is probably exactly what the filmmakers intended." References External links * Category:Films about extraterrestrial life Category:Post-apocalyptic films Category:Post-apocalyptic anime and manga Category:Japanese films Category:Godzilla films Category:Polygon Pictures Category:Films set in the 2040s Category:Films set in the future Category:Toho animated films Category:2010s Japanese films Category:Mecha anime and manga Category:Kaiju films Category:Films directed by Kobun Shizuno Category:2018 anime films Category:2018 films Category:Film scores by Harry Gregson-Williams Category:Film scores by Stephanie Economou Category:Film scores by Andrew Kawczynski Category:Film scores by Roger Suen Category:Film scores by Nick Glennie-Smith Category:Film scores by David Fleming